6 iOS 26 Changes You Should Know About

I tested the iOS 26 beta for the last few weeks; so you didn’t have to. If you’re in Growth, or have an app, these aren’t optional.

iOS 26 is Apple’s biggest shift in years, blending design, marketing, and analytics into one unified system. Between Liquid Glass aesthetics, keyword-based Custom Product Pages (CPPs), and cohort-based App Store Connect metrics, this is more than just an OS update.

If your app doesn’t evolve, your users will.

I broke it all down for Global Games Forum, but here’s the sharper Neo Ads version with predictions, contrarian plays, and actions UA teams should take now.

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What’s Changing & Why It Matters

🧊 1.Liquid Glass design = subtle conversion lever

• Apple’s new aesthetic is immersive, fluid, and slightly translucent. If your icon or UI feels outdated next to this, users may bounce.

• You don’t need a full redesign, but start with:

  • An Icon Composer refresh

  • A Widget strategy, especially for the HomeScreen

Apps that align with Apple’s design and accessibility guidelines don’t just convert better; they get featured more often.

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🔍 2.Custom Product Pages for ASO

• You can now link metadata keywords to CPPs, meaning each search query gets its own landing page.

• Think of CPPs as on-store micro-funnels, tailored by user intent:

  • “Flights to Tokyo” → travel deals page

  • “Budget hotels” → hotel offers only

  • “Car hire app” → car rental value prop

• Leverage performance creatives that already convert well in ads, just rebuild them in screenshot form.

Relevance goes up, conversion goes up. Your ASO now behaves like performance marketing. This is the closest thing we have to true personalization in the App Store. Use it.

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📊 3.App Store Connect is getting a makeover

• Apple just added 100+ new metrics, including:

  • Cohort analytics (by product page, device, geo…)

  • MRR, churn, subscription events

  • Peer group benchmarks

• Soon, you’ll be able to match each CPP or UA campaign to actual downstream revenue, not just installs.

Want to know if users from CPP B monetize better than A? Now you can track that directly. No 3rd party needed.

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🧠 4.On-device Apple Intelligence = ASO Advantage

• Apple Intelligence is built for privacy and performance.

• Apps using on-device models (e.g. summarization, AI chat, Genmoji) may get extra visibility.

• Use them for:

  • Smart onboarding

  • Personalized content (offline)

  • User delight

Apps that embrace Apple Intelligence might win editorial and algorithmic preference.

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🔒 5.Privacy rules keep tightening

• iOS 26 expands fingerprinting protections in Safari, limiting web-to-app attribution.

• AdAttributionKit gets:

  • Custom windows

  • Geo-coded postbacks

  • Re-engagement tracking

Great in theory. But in practice? Low adoption, especially vs. SKAN. The biggest impact will be on Apple Ads.

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🎮 6.Games App = A new growth engine

• iOS 26 ships with a native Games app, already pre-installed.

• Features a “Play Together” tab, Game Center social integrations, and live in-app events dominating the feed.

• Search behavior is changing: In-App Events cards take more real estate than screenshots!

If you’re a game, rethink your UA:

• Highlight social loops

• Run regular events

• Make events the hook, not the extra

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iOS 26 isn’t just about design or privacy. It’s the new rules of the App Store.

📌 Adapt fast or get left behind.

🔗 Read the full version on Global Games Forum

📣 Forward this issue to a teammate who still thinks we have time to prepare

💥 Next month at Gamesforum London, I’ll be breaking this down live → let me know if you’ll be there, would love to connect.

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🎯 In case your missed it:

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